What are the propagation methods for red tip photinia?
The main propagation methods for red tip photinia are tissue culture and cuttings. Tissue culture has relatively high requirements for facilities and professional skills as well as high costs, so it is not suitable for most nurseries and growers. Here, the editor introduces a set of cutting propagation techniques that are low in cost, simple to operate, have a high survival rate, and can be produced in ordinary plastic greenhouses.
Preparation of cutting facilities and seedbeds
For cutting in a single-span greenhouse, cover it with greenhouse film and add a shade net. After leveling the ground inside the greenhouse, build a ground-level cutting seedbed. The seedbed width is about 100 cm, and 10 to 12 cm high boards are installed around it. Spread a layer of fine sand at the bottom of the seedbed to facilitate drainage. The cutting substrate can be vermiculite plus peat, or clean yellow subsoil plus fine sand. The seedbed and substrate must be disinfected with fungicides and insecticides to prevent pests and diseases.
Cutting time
The cutting times for red tip photinia are spring cuttings in early March, summer cuttings in early June, and autumn cuttings in early September.
Cutting of cuttings
Use semi-lignified young branches or lignified current-year branches, cut them into one leaf and one bud, about 3 to 4 cm long, and the cut must be smooth.
Treatment of cuttings
After the cuttings are cut, pay attention to moisture retention and insert them as soon as possible after cutting. Before cutting, treat the cut with a rooting agent to speed up rooting and increase the survival rate. The cutting depth should be 3 cm, and the density should be 400 plants per sq m. After inserting, water thoroughly immediately, and spray the leaf surface with a mixed solution of carbendazim and carbendazim-anthracnose.
Management after cutting
After cutting, check the seedbed frequently. Keep the substrate moisture content at about 60%, keep the air humidity in the greenhouse preferably above 95%, and control the temperature in the greenhouse below 38°C. If the temperature is too high, spray water to cool it down. Keep shading from cutting until rooting and sprouting.
After 15 days, some cuttings begin to root, so the substrate moisture content should be appropriately reduced, generally kept at about 40%. When more than 50% of the cuttings begin to root, gradually open the film for ventilation, with a shading light transmittance of about 50%.
When all the cuttings have rooted and more than 50% have leafed out, gradually remove the shade net and film from the greenhouse and begin hardening the seedlings. Foliar fertilizer or low-concentration water-soluble fertilizer can be applied to promote robust growth of the cuttings.